Mike Elko reunites with former Duke assistant
Following Mike Elko’s critical comments of Texas A&M’s defensive play following their Las Vegas Bowl loss to USC, a shakeup on the defensive staff seemed eminent. We seem to have gotten that shakeup on Wednesday, as TexAgs’ Billy Liucci has reported that the Aggies’ are adding James Madison DC Lyle Hemphill in a senior assistant role.
BREAKING: Mike Elko adds a piece to the defensive puzzle, as James Madison DC Lyle Hemphill is set to join the Aggie coaching staff in a senior assistant role.
— Billy Liucci (@billyliucci) January 22, 2025
Hemphill has coached under Elko in two previous stops, at Hofstra when Elko was DC, and again on Elko’s staff at Duke as safeties coach in 2022 and was promoted to a Co-DC role in 2023. Hemphill also coached for Elko’s mentor, Dave Clawson, at Wake Forest from 2017 to 2021, serving as safeties coach as well as defensive coordinator in his final three seasons. So it’s safe to say the two are very familiar with one another.
He led the Blue Devils to be the No. 16 scoring defense in 2023, and James Madison had the No. 21 scoring defense in his first season this past fall.
It’s not yet clear what role Hemphill will play in Aggieland, but given that he is leaving a coordinator role, it’s safe to assume his role will be significant. Jay Bateman will remain as the Defensive Coordinator.